A word from Jason Bohrer, executive director of the Secure Technology Alliance

 

People are always searching for ways to upgrade their lives. This is especially evident in the technological space, with new gadgets hitting the market at a near constant rate. Almost everything is available at your fingertips. Payments can be made with the tap of a phone and mission-critical documents can be accessed digitally on mobile devices. If society is embracing the digital age, shouldn’t identity and authentication practices follow suit?

 

Digital IDs, including mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs), represent the future of secure identification. It is a digital representation of the information contained on a physical driver’s license or ID card moved onto a mobile device, such as a smartphone. mDLs offer enhanced security by requiring a cryptographic protocol that assures verifiers that the mDL or digital ID was issued by a trusted authority, such as a Department of Motor Vehicles. These digital identity credentials have been gaining traction stateside and beyond. mDLs are already compatible with the Apple Wallet, accepted at select TSA checkpoints and implementation activities are underway in key U.S. states like Florida, Virginia, Colorado and Utah.

 

That’s why the Secure Technology Alliance (STA) and its are working alongside allied organizations to launch this new blog. For several years, our organization has worked to accelerate the adoption of ISO-compliant mDLs and digital IDs. The mDL Connection website was created to enhance those efforts. This blog will become a platform for STA members, mobile computing and identity experts to continue to raise awareness about the benefits of mDLs and address potential pain points.

 

Communication is key during the early implementation of any new technology. This is even more relevant when discussing the modernization of identity credentials, which are incredibly important in our day-to-day lives. We’d like this blog to serve as a trusted source for those who are seeking a greater understanding of mDLs and its use cases. Industry experts will explore how digital IDs are being used from the perspective of issuing authorities, merchants, consumers and mDL technology manufacturers. We hope you stick with us as we build this blogging community and take a deep dive into the ways digital identity credentials are creating convenient and secure experiences for all.